‘I’m counting on him’ – Erik ten Hag insists Cristiano Ronaldo won’t leave Manchester United in January transfer window

Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag insists that he wants and expects Cristiano Ronaldo to remain at the club for the rest of the season.

The Portugal captain was dropped from Ten Hag’s squad for Saturday’s Premier League game against Chelsea as punishment for refusing to come on in a midweek win over Tottenham and walking down the tunnel before full-time.

The incident only heightened already rampant speculation about Ronaldo’s future, coming on the back of a summer where he was linked with multiple clubs after reportedly asking to join a team competing in the Champions League.

With the January transfer window fast approaching, Ten Hag looked to set the record straight when asked if he thought Ronaldo would stay at Old Trafford for the rest of the campaign, and if that was what he wanted.

“Both,” Ten Hag said.

“It is for this game and then we continue. It’s a strike.

“As we said in the statement, Cristiano remains an important part of the squad and I count on him for the rest of the season. We want to fulfil our ambitions.”

Ten Hag also confirmed that the 37-year-old had refused to come on as a substitute in Wednesday’s 2-0 win over Spurs, one of the Red Devils’ best performances of the season.

Ronaldo later explained on Instagram that “sometimes the heat of the moment gets the best of us”.

But Ten Hag pointed to the former Real Madrid and Juventus forward’s decision to leave a pre-season game against Rayo Vallecano early as he explained the punishment.

“We are a team, and in a team, we have standards and values,” Ten Hag said.

“I have to control them, so after Rayo Vallecano, I said it was unacceptable but he wasn’t the only one. That was for everyone, and I said that there will be consequences if it happened a second time.”

It has been a frustrating season so far for Ronaldo, who was United’s top scorer last season but has rarely been given a chance to start since Ten Hag’s summer arrival from Ajax.

The Portuguese has started twice in the Premier League this season, and has an overall record of two goals in 12 appearances under the Dutch manager.

United’s game at Stamford Bridge on Saturday is crucial, as a win would send them above Chelsea and into the top four.